Hey, I'm DJ (Daniel Johnson) and I'm a designer, coder and and all round important person. You may remember my face from a Colgate advert that ran in Kanvas in September 1996, or maybe you are here for my weekly tech updates.. Either way... Say Hello!

ONLINE GAMING: THE FUTURE

The world of online gaming moves fast. So fast, that nowadays it can seem like we hardly go a month without some new technology being revealed. If you’re into online gaming, on sites like WSOP, we’ve no doubt that you can’t wait to see what the future has in store. To give you a glimpse into what you can expect from your favourite industry, today we’re offering our predictions on the future of online gaming.

No scrimping on storyline

Where once games offered a very specific experience, which would often have you switching back and forth depending on your mood – we predict that soon all games will offer the full package, with both single and multi-player options. In 2016 we saw games like Destinyand The Division stepping up by offering the dream combo of fascinating online worlds, alongside well-crafted storylines. Moving forwards, we shouldn’t settle for anything less.

Reality checkWho needs actual reality when augmented and virtual reality are so exciting? Back in 2016 we saw the world collectively lose their minds over Pokémon Go, so moving forwards we’ve no doubt all the big gaming brands will be attempting to emulate that kind of frenzy. Mike Olson, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos, commented: “You’re going to see other developers potentially changing their pipeline to incorporate augmented reality or location-based technology.” We’re also expecting big advances in virtual reality as hardware becomes affordable enough to allow more people to access it. Developers know what a huge market VR is – now they just need to make it a realistic option for the masses.

Going mobile

Mobile technology is progressing at a rapid and exciting rate – this means that the range and quality games of games we’ll be able to enjoy while on the bus to work is only set to get better. Expect to see games that you once had to stay home to play making the successful leap to mobile.

Audience participation

Who doesn’t enjoy a little audience participation every now and again? If you are yet to visit Twitch Plays we urge you to get with the programme ASAP. In the years to come we’re expecting to see millions broadcast all of their online gaming on to Twitch, to delight audiences. As more people arrive at the platform to enjoy the audience participation features offered, the more we expect to see gaming companies tap in to this. Already there are features that allow broadcasting gamers to overlay their stats to show off their talents to viewers. Additionally, there is the chance to invite viewers to join the game, and with new feature Stream+, those watching are able to change the course of the game they’re watching through online polls.